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With development comes destruction, and native plants are the
biggest victims. Dozens of plant species disappear every day, become
extinct, due to over-development and clear cutting of forests. People
and businesses need places to live, and the places that remain are often
less than desirable. Lots have to be built up, or paved over to make
them useable, which necessitates removing all plant life. The clear
cutting of building lots destroys millions of native plants yearly.
While municipalities attempt to force homeowners and builders to replace
a certain percentage of these trees and plants, it's only a drop in the
bucket to what is lost. Many times these plants are replaced with
non-native ornamentals and lawns that not only require more resources to
maintain, but do not even come close to having the beneficial
properties that native species have developed over thousands of years in
the same environment.

What can we do, however small, to undo some of the damage that is
done? We can use native plants in our landscaping. In the present
economic and ecological climate, native plants have several advantages
over non-native species. Landscaping with native plants can save our
resources, help protect our environment, and save you money.

Save Water because they are acclimated to the normal
precipitation rates of the area. That is not to say that in periods of
extreme drought you will not have to water them, but normally, you can
forego the hoses and sprinklers.

No Need for Fertilizer because they have learned to live and
thrive on what nature gives them. As a matter of fact, some native
plants will actually not survive heavy fertilization. The slash pine is
one such plant. When left standing on building lots that are sodded and
fertilized heavily, the slash pine will invariably die.

More Insect Resistant so they rarely require chemical insecticides.
The insects that native plants do attract are largely only attracted to
that particular plant. This is usually because it is a larval plant,
meaning they lay their eggs on it. One example of this is monarch
butterflies and milkweed. Even when the milkweed is completely stripped
of leaves by the monarch larvae, the plant recuperates quickly and
becomes fuller and more beautiful, providing more flower nectar for the
emerging butterflies, and more food for the next crop of larvae.

More Disease Resistant. It is a well known fact that
hybridization destroys the disease resistant properties of many plants.
Native roses, for example, do not suffer from black spot or other fungal
diseases common to their hybridized counterparts.

Attract Wildlife and Pollinators. Native plants in the wild
provide shelter and food for wildlife and insects. Without this
symbiotic relationship, neither species would be able to survive. When
native plants are used in the landscape, you will see an increase in
butterflies, bees, and other beneficial species in your yard.

Large scale chemical fertilizer, insecticide, and pesticide usage has
been proven to be the major contributor to the declining quality of our
potable groundwater. Scientific experts in Florida now admit that runoff
of high nitrogen chemical fertilizers from lawns is the greatest contributor to the red tide algae
that destroys millions of living ocean organisms every year. We all
know what chemical spraying, disposal into rivers and streams, and
releases from factory smokestacks are doing to our environment. It has
recently been found that a chemical pesticide named Clothianidin
may be largely responsible for colony collapse disorder in bees. We
must stop the chemical pollution that is killing our planet.

Native plants were here long before man, and only man can save them.
Research native plants for your area, and consider replacing less
environmentally friendly species in your landscape. There are many
beautiful and easy to grow choices available.